The Overlooked Legacy of the Arab and Muslim Slave Trade: A Precursor to Slavery in America
As an Iranian-American Christian and ex-Muslim, I have come to understand that the dark legacy of slavery in the United States cannot be fully comprehended without recognizing the centuries-old Arab and Muslim slave trade that preceded it. While the Transatlantic slave trade has been widely condemned, the Islamic slave trade across the Sahara, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean has received far less scrutiny, despite its significant impact on the African continent and its people.
For over 1,400 years, the Muslim world engaged in the capture, sale, and exploitation of African slaves. It is estimated that over 28 million Africans were enslaved by Muslim traders during this period. Unlike the Atlantic slave trade, where two out of every three slaves were men destined for agricultural labor, the Muslim slave trade predominantly targeted women, with two women enslaved for every man. These women were often subjected to sexual exploitation, forced into harems, or sold as concubines, while many male slaves were castrated and used for military service.
The mortality rate during transportation in the Muslim slave trade was shockingly high, with 80 to 90% of slaves dying during the arduous journeys across the Sahara and East Africa. This is a stark contrast to the Atlantic slave trade, where the mortality rate was around 10%. Furthermore, while millions of descendants of African slaves in the Americas survive today, very few descendants of slaves in the Muslim Middle East exist, largely due to the brutal practices of castration and infanticide that eradicated future generations.
The Arab and Muslim slave trade laid the groundwork for the transatlantic slave trade that followed, creating established routes, systems, and a market for human lives. While Christian reformers in Europe and America led the charge to abolish slavery, with figures like William Wilberforce and President Abraham Lincoln championing the cause, the Muslim world largely resisted such reforms. Even after Britain outlawed the slave trade in 1807 and Europe followed in 1815, Muslim slave traders continued their operations, enslaving an additional 2 million Africans. It was not until the mid-20th century that some Muslim-majority countries, like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, officially abolished slavery, and this was done reluctantly and under significant international pressure.
The legacy of slavery continues to haunt parts of the Muslim world today, with reports of ongoing slavery in countries like Sudan and Mauritania. The story of Mende Nazer, a former slave from Sudan's Nuba Mountains, serves as a chilling reminder of this enduring practice. Abducted as a child and forced into servitude, Nazer's harrowing experience highlights the brutality that persists even in modern times.
It is essential to recognize the role that the Arab and Muslim slave trade played in shaping the history of slavery in America. The transatlantic slave trade may have brought millions of Africans to the Americas, but it was the centuries-long Muslim slave trade that laid the foundation for this horrific chapter in human history. Understanding this context not only broadens our perspective on slavery but also challenges the selective memory that often overlooks the full extent of this global atrocity.
References
- Segal, Ronald. Islam's Black Slaves: The Other Black Diaspora. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002.
- Gordon, Murray. Slavery in the Arab World. New Amsterdam Books, 1989.
- Nazer, Mende, and Damien Lewis. Slave: My True Story. PublicAffairs, 2004.
- "The Arab Muslim Slave Trade Of Africans, The Untold Story." African Echo. www.africanecho.co.uk.
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